Capital Equipment News November 2020

MOBILE CRANES

Liebherr has developed its single line guiding system designed to handle blades on the latest generation of wind turbines.

At the lifting edge As innovation continues apace across the capital equipment industry, one sector that has in recent years witnessed a massive technological shift is the mobile crane sector, with manufacturers such as Liebherr seeking to address the ever increasing demand for safety, efficiency and productivity on sites. By Munesu Shoko .

outriggers have a double-stage design and produce a wider support base than the single-stage outriggers at the front. This increases the capacity over the rear supports even more. And that sums up precisely what VarioBase Plus is about – higher load capacities by combining a trapezoidal, variable support base. In 2018, Liebherr also brought to market its single line guiding system. The blades on the latest generation of wind turbines are nowadays installed individually using rotor blade yokes. “Liebherr has developed a system for this future-oriented application, which makes the installation process safer, more economical and in many cases also greener,” explains Hendrik Burger, technical sales liaison, Mobile Crane Division at Liebherr-Africa. Efficiency matters Crane efficiency is extremely important as this has a cost implication to the customer, says Liebherr-Africa’s Benz. To maximise lifting efficiency, Liebherr has developed several systems. For mobile cranes with five or more axles, Liebherr has created a new drive concept for the crane superstructure. A single engine in the chassis powers the crane via mechanical shaft. “Even at low engine speeds, the chassis engine supplies sufficient power for the crane operation.

L ifting operations can put construction workers at great risk of injury. The costs of accidents related to lifting operations, can be immense. To help lifting companies address safety on sites, Liebherr offers an array of technologies that speak directly to this important parameter. The company, for example, has brought to market its VarioBase and VarioBasePlus features for improved safety and enhanced performance. VarioBase, explains Erik Benz, GM – Mobile Crane Division at Liebherr-Africa, allows each individual crane support outrigger to be positioned at random. “The load controls the crane work moment limiter within the LICCON control, which calculates the maximum load capacities precisely for this situation on the actual site. This prevents accidents by human error during both set-up and when hoisting loads. The increased safety and ease of use takes away the strain from the crane driver who can concentrate fully on the hoist,” says Benz. The digital possibilities afforded by VarioBase were taken into consideration in the design of the structural steelwork, thus enhancing the crane’s performance. The result is a trapezoidal support. The rear

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